Ischemia of the brain is the response to oxygen hunger due to narrowing of the lumen or blockage of the arteries of the brain. Increasingly, the disease manifests itself in kids and is about 85% of the cases and the reason for this - external and internal effects. Regardless of the nature of the onset of the disease, untimely treatment starts often leads to not good consequences.
How ischemia manifested in young children
Ischemia of the brain in a newborn is a result of hypoxia during pregnancy and childbirth. In perinatal neurology, this problem is difficult to solve, since there is still no sufficiently effective way to get rid of it.
A baby can be suspected of ischemia if:
- the baby cries for no reason and shudders;
- the surface of the skin has a marble shade;
- the baby does not sleep well;
- he weakly sucks his chest and swallows poorly;
- has muscular weakness, the child is sluggish;
- the head has a large size and fontanel is enlarged;
- breathing is disrupted, convulsions occur.
Degrees of disease in newborns
There are three degrees of ischemia in children:
- Easy degree( 1 degree ) - when a child is overly excited or depressed for 4-7 first days of his life. Treatment is carried out in the maternity ward, after which the child is observed by a neurologist at home.
- With a moderate degree( 2 degree ), the child has seizures and a number of neurological disorders. The child is treated in a hospital.
- Severe degree( 3 degree of ) ischemia involves serious disorders in which the baby is placed in the intensive care unit. After the discharge of the baby, a long rehabilitation awaits.
The first two degrees of brain disease in rare cases are considered a consequence of the development of neurological pathologies. And, if adequate therapy is performed in time, the functional symptoms of the disease disappear completely.
This leads to dysfunction of the central nervous system, as a result of which the child develops poorly, convulsions occur, he hears and sees worse.
Causes of development of ischemia in infants
Brain ischemia occurs in infants as a result of a lack of oxygen that arose during the bearing of the child or at his birth.
To the provoking factors include:
- diagnosed during pregnancy, polyhydramnios;
- age of mother up to 20 years and after 35 years;
- premature or too late delivery;
- abnormal feeding of the placenta, too early its detachment or presentation;
- is a multiple pregnancy;
- pre-eclampsia;
- pathological conditions of the cardiac and vascular systems;
- amniotic fluid cloudiness;
- disease of the mother when carrying a child.
Moreover, it is the brain that is considered the most dependent on lack of oxygen. And in particularly severe manifestations, the death of individual cells or whole parts of the brain can occur.
Sometimes, newborn children are diagnosed with the arachnoid cyst of the brain. After reading the article, you will find out whether it is dangerous and how it is treated.
Myoclonia in children is quite common. Most often they are harmless in nature, but about when to call a doctor, it is written in the section on neuralgia.
The main symptoms of the disease
Any deviation in the child may indicate ischemia in the newborn.
Signs of brain dysfunction in children are diverse and a clear lag in development will surely attract the attention of parents.
In addition, a sharp change in behavior, loss of appetite, constant vagaries, frequent regurgitation and reaction to weather change should be a cause for concern.
To the symptoms of cerebral ischemia, the child includes:
- an increase in the volume of the child's head, as well as a large fontanel due to a buildup of fluid in the brain, high intracranial pressure;
the child is in a state of unconsciousness and it lacks the coordination functions of the brain; - depression of the central nervous system, in which there is impaired motor activity and muscle weakness, weakened the reflexes of sucking and swallowing, in rare cases, strabismus with asymmetric proportions of the face may develop;
- or vice versa, excessive excitability of the baby, characterized by low or high muscle tone, tremor of some parts of the body( chin, hands or feet), shaking, reflexes, poor sleep, crying for no reason;
- occurrence of twitching of the limbs and head, flinch.
Diagnosis of brain dysfunction in newborns
The main goal of the diagnosis is to reveal why this disease has arisen.
The basic measures for diagnosing include:
- physical examination: assessment of respiratory and cardiac functions, mandatory analysis of the child's nervous status;
- duplex examination of the ultrasound apparatus of the arteries for the analysis of blood circulation in vessels;
- angiography to detect abnormalities in the functioning of the brain: thrombosis, arterial narrowing, aneurysms;
- MR angiography and CT angiography;
- additionally performed ECG, ECHO-KG, X-ray, blood tests.
Treatment of ischemia in newborns
Despite significant success in the treatment of ischemia in newborns, there are still no effective remedies for the disease.
The main goal of the treatment is to restore the blood circulation of blood vessels in order to ensure the normal operation of damaged areas of the brain.
In an easy stage of the disease, the method of treatment is very simple and accessible to everyone - this is an ordinary massage without the use of any medications. In the case of more complex stages of the disease, therapy is selected according to individual characteristics and necessarily according to the indications of a specialist doctor.
Usually, drugs are prescribed to stimulate the brain, normalize the circulatory system and drugs to restore and strengthen the defenses of the child's body.
In the treatment of cerebral ischemia, folk remedies are widely used, and they must be combined with basic medicines. Folk methods can remove symptoms of the disease well, but only medications and surgery can eliminate the cause.
For newborn babies, traditional methods of treatment are not used.
The main symptoms of convulsive syndrome in children are well described in this article. You will learn how to help the child with an attack and how to avoid it in the future.
To find out the opinion of Dr. Komarovsky on intracranial pressure in infants, you can here.
Is there a tremor in the hands of newborns, which is why it appears and how to prevent it? Http: //gidmed.com/ bolezni-nevrologii /nevralgija/ tremor-u-novorozhdennyh-norma-ili-patologiya.html.
Possible consequences of the disease for newborns
The prognosis and consequences of ischemia depend entirely on the stage and severity of ischemia. In addition, the importance of existing pathologies and the correctness of treatment methods and methods of rehabilitation.
Severe consequences are also possible, so treatment should be started sooner.
Ischemia of the brain in newborns can trigger the onset of:
- headaches;
- restless sleep and irritability;
- difficulties in communication and study;
- of mental retardation;
- in difficult cases - epilepsy.
Ischemia can even lead to death. You can avoid death if you immediately seek medical help. Only the doctor will put an accurate diagnosis and recommend the appropriate treatment.
Prevention of the disease
To think about your health should be from the earliest childhood. After all, the disease is fatal.
To avoid the development of ischemia, the following actions should be taken:
- to regularly exercise;
- a lot of walking in the fresh air;
- eat right, try to adhere to the diet;
- to stop smoking and other unhealthy habits;
- to avoid stress, to be positive about life.
These rules are very simple, and their implementation will protect any person from dangerous diseases. In addition, a pregnant woman should visit a regular gynecologist, treat all diseases on time, undergo scheduled ultrasound, eat properly, walk a lot outside and not be nervous.
Observing simple rules, you can give birth to a healthy baby.
The video examines one of the main causes of development of ischemia in newborns - fetal hypoxia during pregnancy: